This past weekend, the Breaker Marching Band and Jazz Band took part in the Tournament of Champions band review at Fairfield High School. As the marching season came to a close, the bands looked forward to testing their skills in competition. A band review is a gathering of bands from all across California, where the bands play and march for judges, who give them a score. After sorting through the different divisions, the scores are compared and awards are given to those who competed.
The band got up bright and early to make their way to Fairfield, where the marching band competed first. Led by drum major Christopher Platt, they performed The Invincible Eagle March by John Phillip Sousa, the same piece they performed for the Butterfly Parade. The band has been working hard on marching and playing since the year and was glad to finally get to compete. The jazz band went on an hour later, coming off of a great performance two nights before. On Thursday they performed with the orchestra for the first concert of the year, a dress rehearsal for the competition, performing 6 songs, including Salsa Caribeña, Aurora, and Sentimental Journey. They performed just three of their songs due to the limited time: Backrow Politics, a trumpet feature, I Thought About You, a classic jazz standard adapted for big band, and Sweet Georgia Brown, the Harlem Globetrotters’ anthem. After the set, they returned to the bus to eat and await the scoring results from the judges.
Mid afternoon, drum major Christopher Platt, drum captain Amy Kim, and assistant drum major Conor O’Brien lined up amidst the other bandleaders to claim the awards. After waves of salutes and cheers, the band received their first recognition. Platt took 5th place in the military drum major division. Next, the band placed third overall in their division, scoring within just a few percent of first place. Finally, though not claimed at the event itself, the jazz band took home first place in their division as well.
Regarding the bands’ results at the tournament, Platt says he “is very satisfied with how the band performed this weekend, and [he’s] happy with how the one review of the year went”. The band’s sentiment was similar, happy with their placing and playing. The jazz band judging always varies, but the comments by the adjudicators had some helpful comments for the group. Doctor Warren, the band’s director, was also very proud of the group’s improvement throughout the year and the weekend’s performance.
